If you’re the man (or woman) in charge at your job there are a few things you should know to make you the most effective leader possible. After all, you don’t want to be one of those bosses who is a cringe inducing douchebag who nobody has any respect for because not only will it end up affecting the day to day morale at the office but your bottom line as well. Try these do’s and don’ts and you’ll have the respect of your employees and a much easier life.
1. Be Cool But Not That Cool: Look at it this way, having a beer with your father is cool. Him watching you get lap dance after lap dance at Striptown is over the line. When you become a boss you kind of give up your happy hour rights. By attending them you give your employees the chance to put you under a microscope and watch your every move like a hawk. God forbid you slip up and even say something dumb; you’re giving your employees ammunition to use against you. Then there’s always the chance that you’ll take one too many shots of Patron and make out with an underling which is basically the office boss version of Hiroshima. If you want to foster camaraderie, have a kickass lunch brought into the office for everybody. A lot less can go wrong in the break room over Chinese takeout.
2. Try And Make Rewards Monetary: Companies often make the huge mistake of “rewarding” their employees with gift cards, trips to Six Flags, etc. Gift cards make people wonder why the hell you just didn’t give them the cash equivalent and let’s be honest; we’re all working adults here. If we want to go to Six Flags, we will go to six Flags with people we really like. Employees don’t need to be brought to an amusement park. There’s nothing worse than forced fun and trips with co-workers always feels like work anyway. If your employees have done something worth a reward try and make it cash. You want loyalty? That’s the way to get it. At the end of the day it’s work and people work for money, as much of it as possible.
3. Notice The Little Things: A simple “thank you” or “good job” seriously works wonders. Let your employees know that their work isn’t going unnoticed. A simple gesture like this can make a 12 hour day bearable so show your appreciation. Employees want to know that you notice their hard work. Giving them a, “this is your job so just do it” attitude is a sure way to mess up morale and guarantee that all water cooler scuttlebutt will be about what an ass you are instead of Game of Thrones. Show appreciation and give praise. This is guaranteed to work.
4. Don’t Ask Of Others What You Won’t Do Yourself: You’re the boss and I’m sure you did a lot to get where you are but that doesn’t mean you should treat your employees like servants while you sit at your desk with your feet up. I’m not saying you should take the mop from the janitor and start doing the floors but help out here and there. If 100 boxes of copier paper need to be moved from one office to another, get in on the action instead of letting three females who each weigh 100 pounds do it themselves. Of course, moving the boxes will still suck but it’s sucking with some help from the boss which will garner you tons of respect from your employees.
5. Give Clear Cut Goals: Employees want to know what their job is. Do your best to let them know their objectives and goals in a clear fashion. The truth is, people want to know what they’re doing and why or else it just feels arbitrary and they would rather be doing, literally, anything else. If you don’t have something for an employee to do don’t send them into an office somewhere to do a stupid task involving Excel spreadsheets. They will be ready to gouge their own eyes out with a melon baller in about 17 minutes so put your thinking cap on and find something meaningful for your employee to do, something they understand the purpose of.
Article By: Jon DaBove
